IN 1987 AND 1988, CDC surveyed state health departments for reported cases of Lyme disease (LD [Lyme borreliosis]); in 1987, 2368 cases meeting the case definition* of their respective states were reported, and in 1988, 4572 cases were reported. Demographic data were available for 54% of reported cases: 92% were white, 4% Hispanic, 2% black, and 2% Asian; 51% of cases occurred in females. Age-specific incidence rates were highest for children less than 15 years of age and for persons 25-44 years of age (0.2 per 100,000 population). In the Northeast and North Central regions, 64% of LD patients had onset of illness from May through August; in comparison, in the Pacific region, where 33% of patients had onset in these months, more cases occurred from January through May.

In 1987 and 1988, cases were reported from all states; however, in nine states, infection was thought to have been acquired